Posted 4 years ago on July 26, 2013, 10:51 p.m. EST by shoozTroll
(17632)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

“The Kochs are on a whole different level. There’s no one else who has spent this much money. The sheer dimension of it is what sets them apart. They have a pattern of lawbreaking, political manipulation, and obfuscation. I’ve been in Washington since Watergate, and I’ve never seen anything like it. They are the Standard Oil of our times.”

88 Comments

Koch Brothers Exposed'' is a hard-hitting investigation of the 1% at its very worst. The two billionaire brothers bankroll a vast network of organizations that work to undermine the interests of the 99% on issues ranging from Social Security, to the environment, to civil rights. This film uncovers The Kochs' corruption and points the way to how Americans can reclaim their democracy from The Corporations.

From the first link : "The memo became a rallying cry among corporate executives for how to reassert corporate dominance over the American economy & its government, which it had lost during the era of the New Deal. The memo openly stated that the corporations should punish their political enemies and should seek political power through both the law and politics. It encouraged challenges to what it saw as left-wing activities..."

Thanx for the very interesting and somewhat alarming link and in compliment, ever heard of 'The Donors Trust' - http://donorstrust.org/ ? Also please see :

In 2013, the highest tax bracket is taxed at 39.6% on income above $450K. In 1986 it was 50% on income above $175K. In 1980 it was 70% on income above $215K. In 1961 it was 90% on income above $400K. In 1944 it was 94% on income above $200K. In 1927 it as 22% on income above $64K.

Koch Brothers and other multi-billionaires qualify for new tax brackets.
99.9% on income above $1 billion.
99.99% on income above $10 billion.
The tax bracket will include capital gains.

It may seem extreme. Most Americans can't imagine what an income over $1 billion feels like. It's more than enough money to make 1000 American workers lose their jobs, benefits, housing, and lifestyle. That means it's too much money for one individual or one family.

The problem of having more money than you know what to do with is a real problem.

Is it interesting at all that there's been inflation since then and that the old rates came with a swiss cheese array of avoidances or are you just another cheap demagogue? Yeah, I think I know already.

Maybe there is a subatomic particle, a cash boson, that causes the prices of objects to increase via quark field effects. Inflation is simply a rise in the average price of goods and services in the macroeconomy.

What causes inflation?

It takes someone, somewhere making a conscious choice to charge more for the good or service they sell. The initial increase does not have to be in something that is being directly measured by the consumer price index. That someone, somewhere who raises their price must also be in a position to make it stick. Adam Smith wrote in 1776 that we cannot trust the undertakers of business to look out for anyone but themselves, and so we must handcuff them. But not with markets, per se, with competition, and the two do not always go hand in hand.

The OPEC oil cartel in the 1970s and 1980s is a classic example of market power. Had there been other viable sources of what they sold, they could not have restricted supply and driven up prices as they did because the competition would not have allowed them to do so. We would have just bought oil (or a close substitute) from someone else. Up to late 1973, they lacked the political will to set strict quotas among the various exporters. But, once the motivation was provided by US involvement in the Yom Kippur War, they made a conscious decision to raise prices by cutting supply. And because they were able to avoid competition, it worked!

No household in my neighborhood, for example, buys barrels of oil; and yet when they become more expensive that sends a ripple throughout all related products. In the end, consumer prices jump as well. Even though households do not buy barrels of oil, OPEC caused terrible inflation. It drove up the prices of anything that used petroleum or petroleum-based products, it raised the price of gas and, therefore, anything that needed to be transported, and it caused inflation in other energy sources as users shifted to those products. Market power–not money growth–caused this inflation. The money supply only rose as a result of the fact that firms and consumers took out larger loans and sold assets for cash. The Federal Reserve acted as it should have done in these circumstances, accommodating this increased demand.

Inflation never affects everyone equally. It shifts buying power from one group to another (even though the winners may still complain because they see themselves as hurt by the overall price increases–what they don’t understand is their role in causing the latter!). In fact, it is the very attempt to capture more income that is at the heart of the inflationary process under these circumstances. Money supply growth did not cause prices to rise, OPEC’s attempt to grab a larger income share did. No amount of controlling the money supply was going to eliminate the ultimate impact of rising oil prices: the redistribution of income towards those countries and the oil industry.
Just because the market created a particular price, wage, profit rate, or income does not mean that it is somehow objectively “fair.” These numbers only quantify our existing social values. There are, of course, more purely economic forces at work, too. Gold is more valuable than silver because there is less of it.

When speculative money bids up the price of a commodity future, this creates an incentive for those actually selling the commodity to withhold supply today in favor of the future (when prices will presumably be higher). The rising spot price then convinces the speculators that their bet had been correct, and they increase their position. This may drive futures prices even higher, and so on. Thus, a goods price is driven up by the price of a financial asset. The winners here are 1) those whose portfolios include those assets (of course, they can only realize their gain by selling) and 2) the producers of the commodities in question. Those producers often bear the brunt of the blame for these inflations, but they are not actually the source. As usual with inflation, it leads to a rise in the money supply as agents take out loans and sell government securities. The way to stop this inflation is not via blocking monetary growth, however, but to control the link between the asset market and the commodity price.

What multi-billionaires are not engaged in market speculation? In the post-industrialization age we are now in, since bulk manufacturing has been offshored, asset creation through market speculation is very successful, but it doesn’t create enough jobs in the United States. The fact that multi-billionaires can still make even billions more has definitely given them the capability to trigger inflation through market speculation without regard to the actual current supply and demand, but solely on projected future supply and demand, which isn’t real. Why aren’t multibillionaires taxed accordingly? If they are driving inflation through market speculation then they should be taxed at 99% or higher, not at the capital gains rate of 15%.

The interest on student loans is going to be higher. As if education is a commodity, the market speculators have already determined that inflating the cost of an education is good for them, the heck with the rest of the country, the current and future students who need money to pay for their education in order for the United States to remain competitive in the vastly more technological future that approaches.

July 26, 2013. North Carolina’s colleges and universities are among the finest in the nation, and our students are among the best and brightest. They are working their way through school or taking out loans to pay for college because they know it is an investment that will pay off in the long run — that will help them reach their goals, land a good-paying job and support their families. However, as a result of congressional inaction, interest rates on undergraduate subsidized federal Stafford loans doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 on July 1st, effectively sticking 176,000 students in North Carolina with an extra $1,000 a year in student loan costs. The Congress didn’t do anything to stop the interest rates on these loans from doubling.

What has the government done to cause prices to go down? Is there only one direction for prices with this model, up? The attempt to capture more income is at the heart of the inflationary process. The government can control that with tax reform and tax brackets 99% and above. We, the People, would be telling the billionaires they have enough money already, and having more money will be destructive to the future of the country. Obese people should eat less food, not more food. Multi-billionaires should have less money, not more money.

"Any attempt to understand the modern conservative movement will eventually
lead to billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. Using their vast wealth and
connections, the Koch brothers are key players in bankrolling right-wing political
action groups, think tanks, and individual politicians, using this array of political

power to advance their ideological agenda of limited government and less regula

tion. Chances are they are part of any recent right-wing attack you have seen lately.
The Koch brothers, leaders of a vast family oil-and-gas conglomerate, use this
political network to pursue their right-wing agenda at nearly every level of
government. Whether they are contributing millions in campaign contributions,
spending millions on lobbying, or investing millions in right-wing think tank and
advocacy groups, the Koch brothers’ influence is pervasive.
Charles and David Koch would prefer to keep their influence behind the scenes
but recent reporting by the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Think
Progress and a variety of media and advocacy organizations shed light on the

enormous breadth and reach of their network. This report will showcase the play

ers involved in the Koch network, where they operate, and the vast amounts of
money involved. The report also exposes the Koch right-wing ideological agenda
that often protects their business interests at the expense of everyone else.
But cutting to the chase, here is a brief summary of the report’s findings:
•
The Koch brothers, whose wealth, when combined, is the fourth highest in the
nation, run one of the largest private companies in the country. Koch Industries

is involved in industries ranging from oil and gas, refining and chemicals, miner

als, fertilizers, forestry, consumer products, polymers and fibers, and ranching.
They have operations in 45 states."

Guilty conscience, I see. What makes you think I was talking about you? Where have I ever said a cross word to you? In fact I've told you a couple times in PM's I didn't have a problem with you, GF.

Oh, that's right, you got a little bent out of shape when I was giving your boy shooz some shit, in return for the shit he was giving me. That exchange between the two of you was laughable, by the way.

"The posse's got it in for us." Hahahah, what a load. You people's childish bullshit soils this forum, but at least shooz posts some important links. What do you have? "Douchebag" and "cockroach."

When the hell did I claim I didn't know who the Kochs were? I never said that in any comment on this forum. GF, you're as full of shit as he is. In fact, I made a comment to someone else not that long ago that his ALEC and Koch posts and links were a GOOD thing.

In regards to your link about Harry Belafonte visiting Florida to meet with the Dream Defenders, I'm assuming you want my opinion about it.

But first, considering I'm not really sure how delusional you are, I'm not a TikiJ sockpuppet. I don't live in Florida. But let's assume you're not that delusional and realize we are, in fact, two completely different people. And I'll also assume you did mean to send that link to me and not Tiki by mistake (therefore an attempt to bait me, obviously).

So now that we have all that out of the way, you'll be happy to know I have a very strong and very well thought out opinion about that.

But unfortunately, there's a reason that I can't tell you anything about my very strong and well though out opinion about that.

Look, I admit I was going to fuck with you with my last comment, but decided against it. After slapping you down for the last three nights I've grown rather bored with it. So, I'll be straight.

I think what the Dream Defenders are doing in Florida is great. I'm glad to see it and I hope they shut the state down to force the government to do the right thing. This is the kind of shit that needs to start happening nationwide. The masses mobilizing and starting to take back some of their control. March Against Monsanto, the fast food and Walmart workers beginning to demand a better wage, etc. This is exactly what the country needs to be doing. And it's what TPTB need to see.

Now stop sending me links because I won't respond to any more of them. You already know exactly how I feel about "interacting" with you, so consider yourself lucky I gave you a straight, polite, and honest response over the Belafonte piece.

So if I see another black message box with your name in it, I'll have to come back and slap you down some more. Go play somewhere else.

You answer my questions first, since I asked them first. Then I'll be glad to. You know, the one's in the "Carter called it" thread. You remember, the one's where I asked you where I was "talking falsely."

Then maybe address what I brought up in this comment. You know, the one where I called you out on YOUR lies, then you had it shadow-banned. This comment here:

~

Man you are mind-numbingly full of shit.

"You already stated that you're a libe(R)tarian." So, why don't you show the forum where I "admitted" to that. You won't because you made it up.

"One of it's members contacted me by PM and told me about it, so yep.....It's real." That's so fucking laughable I almost choked. Another blatant lie. And this line here:

"He was baiting me so his posse could vote down my comments."

. . . has to be the stupidest comment you've made on this thread. So far. If there WAS this so-called "posse" you keep referring to, why would they need me to make a comment to you first before they downvoted you? Hell, wouldn't they just be downvoting you regardless?

So, shooz, when are you gonna stop talking falsely now?

In fact, I defy you to point out one lie I've ever made on this forum. You can't so you'll ignore that too, just like you ignored all my questions.

It's funny you do the same shit you accuse others of doing all the time; refusing to answer direct questions.

I hate liars, shooz, and you got me to play you're childish game for two days now. You got nothing. I'm done. Hope it was as fun for you as it was for me. Making you look like an idiot is child's play. You do most the work.

~

But hurry up and shadow-ban it again before the forum gets a chance to read it.

"You still haven't accounted for your glaringly mean, nasty, comments about the situation in Detroit."

I told you that night the only reason I said that shit was to piss you off. What part of that did you miss? Being selective again. And hell, shooz, it's not that hard to comprehend. Look, that sentence only has two words that are bigger than one syllable.

And our original comments about so-called insults stemmed from me calling you sad and angry. Hardly what I'd call insults. More like opinions. You seem sad and angry to me. You're pretty thin-skinned for a Detroiter, shooz. I'd think those mean streets would've toughened you up a bit more.

Calling someone "thick" or "stupid?" Yeah, those are insults if they don't fit. Face it, there are a lot of stupid people in this world. It's a sad but true fact. To claim otherwise would be some serious denial. I'm a pretty intelligent guy and I say and do stupid shit all the time. I'm not too proud to admit it. So calling a stupid person "stupid" might be mean, but if the shooz fit . . . .

And if you didn't say a multitude of stupid shit in this exchange of ours you started I would've never stooped to that level. So you get what you deserve.

And thick? Well the fact that you couldn't comprehend the meaning of the fairly simple answers I gave you, well . . . . see the above. You still claim I'm being "evasive" when I really have no answer. Here's another fun fact for you, bud: sometimes there ISN'T a simple yes or no answer to a question. The world's not that . . . simple. If I have no facts to go by, how could I say yes or no, hmmm?? A little more comprehension problem there I see.

And I already told you a while back that I read your posts but don't respond to them because, and listen good so I don't have to repeat myself again, because YOU'RE TOO CONFRONTATIONAL.

Get it?

But we've already seen your opinion about that. To you that's the same as endorsement. Endorsement by exclusion is how you put it. A ridiculous statement, by the way and entirely untrue. People avoid your posts not because they don't agree with them. It's because you're an asshole. Yep, that was an insult. But it's also true. And that's why I won't be weighing in on your posts in the future. But keep posting them, they're full of good info.

Just what I expected. No answers to any of my questions. Just deflection.

And you have yet to show one example of any lie I've ever said on this forum. Calling someone a liar (name-calling, by the way. Which makes you a hypocrite as well) isn't the same as PROVING someone's a liar. And what was I "making up" on this thread? That my comment I copy-pasted from the "Carter" thread was shadow-banned? Nice try, it was already read by someone before it got shadow-banned. That's how I knew in the first place, genius.

But here, I'll give you a couple freebies, even though they'll go in one ear and out the other. If you don't know what that means, it basically means you'll ignore them next time you want to start your shit.

"Do you support castle laws?" Since you confused 'castle laws' with 'stand your ground laws' in a couple other threads, I'll have to ask you which one you mean. They're two different things. So clarify.

"Do you support right to work laws?" I was in Roofers Local #2 for twelve years. I'm pro-union. Try to get that one thru your thick head so I don't have to endure the bullshit accusations you throw at Tiki all the time. But let me help you out by repeating it. I know sometimes it's hard for you.

"I'm pro-union." "I'm pro-union." "I'm pro-union."

In fact, why not bookmark it for future reference?

"Do you support the limited repeal of the voting act?" Haven't read enough about the voting act so I don't have an answer for that one.

"Do you support affirmative action laws?" I used to be completely against affirmative action. Now I have no opinion either way.

Now, I realize I didn't answer with a simple "yes" or "no" like you wanted. But I hope all the words aren't too confusing and you can understand my answers. If not I'll get out my crayons and draw you a simpler picture.

Now, answer mine. Show one single time on this forum I lied. NO, don't just call me a liar, that doesn't count. Show it. I'll be here waiting.

. . . and waiting, . . . . and waiting. But I'll only be here until 2:00 or 3:00, my time, so try and hurry up, will ya?

1.)"Do you support castle laws?" Since you confused 'castle laws' with 'stand your ground laws' in a couple other threads, I'll have to ask you which one you mean. They're two different things. So clarify.

Evasive.

You know exactly what I mean, so you play coy. Besides any yes or no answer would apply to either in equal measure. there were already laws on the books to protect you on your property. Both are ALEC bullshit anyway.

2.) Not a yes or no answer, and it didn't answer the question asked.

3.) Evasive. there are threads here on the subject.

4.) Evasive again.

You've lied about me. Multiple times in multiple threads. Even lying about me to other posters.

You are a manipulative, insulting liar.

Each of those questions were simple and a yes or no answer wasn't all that difficult.

I'm not angry.

I just don't like people calling me names and I'm very inquisitive and I hate evasive bullshit.

Oh yeah.

I hate conse(R)vative ideology in all it's ugly forms too. It upsets me and sets off my bullshit alarms. They're very sensitive to it. I can't help it..

Good, I'll expect to see supportive commentary from you in the future on the questions you actually answered.,even though you haven't offered a word about them yet, and you're still being evasive on the last two.

Interesting to note that you "were" against affirmative action.

And now you've decided that you have no opinion. Strange for so highly an opinionated guy

Now about your lies and insults.

When did calling someone stupid stop being an insult?

When did calling someone fucking thick, stop being an insult?

Your going to have to prove where that happened, or admit once again that you are a liar.

It kinda asks all those questions all over again.

It kinda asks all those questions all over again.

You lied about me.

Over and over.

I don't have to cut and paste a thing.

You lied about baiting.

You lied about insulting me.

There's two that you know well.

You still haven't accounted for your glaringly mean, nasty, comments about the situation in Detroit.

It would seem you owe it your every bit of positive and supportive attention at this point, but somehow, I don't see that happening, because as I recall that was the point of contention that began this current situation between us.

Heheheheh, what a wuss. Can dish it out but can't take it. I've been laughing at your stupid ass the last three nights. I can keep up with you on my worst day.

Now go ahead and have this comment deleted too. Hope you see it first though.

Oh, and I would've been happy to answer LeanMartin over here but there wasn't a reply button. I could've PM'ed him. But I figured I'd do it out here so you could see it.

Care to throw more insults my way, little man? So far they haven't fazed me a bit. In fact I'm enjoying watching you lose it. Too bad it wasn't earlier in the day so the rest of the forum could see the "real shooz."

Well, if it's the first, he's pretty good at it. He has the "not too bright" act down pat. He asked if I was for or against 'Right-to-Work' laws and I told him four times in a row "I'm pro-Union." Four times in a row, Tiki. He said my answer was "evasive, unclear and didn't really answer the question." If he's getting paid, he's a real pro.

Yeah, I noticed how they avoided that post like the plague. No surprise there, though. They're dinosaurs, man. They'll be gone soon. People are finally wising up, that's why they're leaving the Dem and Rep parties in droves.

We'll see if you really agree. So far?
You haven't shown a single iota of agreement on that slate.
The lesser of two evils bullshit, is just that.
It's just idiotic adage. Said to prevent any real thought.
I know for sure what the POS GOP has done to me and mine and YOU won't change what I know. Not with any lie you've put forth on the subject so far.
You're just complacent about it.
Your "duopoly" line is still 100% bullshit."

Take a look at what the two parties have done over the last 150 years and tell me that isnt pure fuckin evil. I'm not talking about the few good things, Im talking about the absolute horrifying things they have been complacent in.

Just because you rescue a dog doesnt mean you can beat it.

The real thought was Occupy. Thats why DEMS and CONS shut the fuckin thing down. In case you missed that, which I wouldnt be suprised if you did.

You realize there were people in the streets attempting to fix this shit in Detroit and your beloved party left them out there to rot, right?

Surrounded by the oil and gas boom in North Dakota's Bakkan shale, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is plagued by drilling just beyond the park's borders. As you approach, it is impossible to escape the signs of fracking -- roads destroyed by truck traffic to fracking wells, retention ponds filled with mystery fluids, and flares from drilling rigs lighting the once dark night sky.

In 1883, Theodore Roosevelt traveled to North Dakota, hoping to hunt buffalo. But instead of wild plains and herds of bison, he encountered overgrazed lands and a nearly extinct bison population. These ravaged lands inspired President Roosevelt to establish the national parks system.

When President Roosevelt encountered destruction like this, he was moved to protect these special places, and now the torch is passed to us. Will you help protect our national parks from the dangers of fracking?

The fracking industry has its eye on our national forests and monuments, too. From George Washington National Forest in Virginia to Desolation Canyon in Utah, the natural gas industry wants a free pass to drill as much as they want without taking responsibility for the consequences. Fortunately, we have a chance to stop this. The Bureau of Land Management is accepting comments about their proposed rules, and it is up to us send a strong message that our wild places must be protected.

The magnificent views from our national parks, forests or, monuments should not be marred by drilling rigs and air pollution. The streams, rivers, and aquifers that feed these areas should not poisoned by toxic chemicals. And our special places should not be threatened by climate pollution from the fossil fuel industry.

P.S. Please share this email with five of your friends, family, and colleagues. We have just a few weeks to send a strong message that our national parks, forests, and special places must be protected from fracking.

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What more is there to say? 97% of climate scientists believe in global warming/climate change and the severe consequences we face ( right now - not in time - right now ) and the fact that we people - industry - transportation - FOSSIL FUEL are responsible. Close down fracking for gods sake LNG OIL and Gas are being exported like never before. Fossil Fuel extraction is not about need - it "IS" about greed at this very point in time.

In truth, it's not exactly at the pole any more, but after going to great lengths to explain that meltwater lakes aren't that unusual at and around the arctic, he said this.

"James Overland, a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Climate Central in an email that the melt pond does seem unusually large compared to what is typically observed in a melt season, though. “We have extensive melt ponds every year, but I do not remember such an extensive lake in previous years. The lake is more a product of how the ice was configured earlier in the year,” he said."